1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a poker playing system and in particular to such a system using real cards and electronic chips.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Poker has experienced an upsurge in popularity over the past several years. This upsurge in poker popularity has occurred mostly in legalized casinos in Nevada, California, Atlantic City, Mississippi, Europe and elsewhere. The poker game with the biggest upsurge in popularity has been limit Texas Hold-Em (hereinafter limit Holdem).
Poker is a game of skill, luck and psychology. Poker is best played and is most exciting when played by live players against each other using real cards at the same poker table. It is the handling of the money and the chips by the players and the poker dealer that slows down the poker game.
Many casinos do not offer poker. Casinos prefer to offer other casino games for the following reasons:
Poker is too labor intensive.
Poker rooms take up too much space.
Poker makes too little money for the casino.
Many prior art card-playing systems disclose either new card games or modified traditional card games. Many prior art card-playing systems disclose the use of electronic cards and electronic chips all controlled and/or generated by a central computer. Many prior art card playing systems allow numerous players to participate in the card game from remote locations. One prior art example is Sidley U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,527 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem For Interactively Playing Poker With A Plurality Of Playersxe2x80x9d. Sidley discloses a central processing unit for allowing all players to simultaneously make one of a plurality of responses to a set of wagers of any plurality of players; and means to electronically assign one of more cards to the plurality of players. Another prior art example is Sidley U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,327 entitled xe2x80x9cComputerized Gaming Systemxe2x80x9d wherein Sidley discloses a similar system. Finally, Tray U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,197 entitled xe2x80x9cAutomatic Lottery Systemxe2x80x9d discloses a lottery system free of player skill wherein the central processing unit pre-selects what particular play will be a winning play. None of the cited prior art patents disclose the xe2x80x9cPoker Playing System Using Real Cards and Electronic Chipsxe2x80x9d of the present invention which preserves the live poker game using real cards.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a system for playing poker comprises: a central processing unit; a plurality of player consoles; a plurality of first interconnecting means for connecting said central processing unit to each of said player consoles; said central processing unit being capable of enabling a particular player console so that said enabled player console may send wagering information to said central processing unit only while said particular player console is enabled; and said central processing unit being capable of simultaneously dis-enabling the other player consoles so that said other dis-enabled player consoles may not be able to send any wagering information to said central processing unit while said other player consoles are dis-enabled. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a system for allowing a plurality of players to play poker against each other at each of several poker tables comprises: a central processing unit; a main console; a dealer console and a plurality of player consoles being located at each such poker table; a plurality of first interconnecting means for connecting each player console at each such poker table to said central processing unit; a plurality of second interconnecting means for connecting each dealer console at each such poker table to said central processing unit; third interconnecting means for connecting said main console to said central processing unit; each player console at each such poker table further comprising means controlled by said central processing unit for allowing each such player console at each such poker table to send wagering information relating to a check, fold, call, bet or raise to said central processing unit when such player console is enabled by said central processing unit, all other player consoles at such poker table being simultaneously dis-enabled by said central processing unit while such player console is enabled.
Objects of the present invention are therefor to:
Allow the poker dealer to be more efficient.
Allow the poker dealer to deal more hands per unit time.
Allow the casino to make more money per poker table and per unit time.
Allow the poker manager to monitor poker dealer performance.
Allow the poker manager to monitor the number of hands dealt by the poker dealer per unit time.
Allow the poker manager to monitor casino rake (income) per poker table and per unit time.
Allow the poker manager to remotely monitor the number of players per poker table.
Allow the poker manager to better distribute the number of players per poker table.
Allow the poker dealer to manage each poker hand without having to physically handle poker chips, without having to physically count poker chips, without having to physically distribute poker chips to the winning players, and without having to physically handle money.
Allow players to enter and leave a poker game without having to physically carry chips to and from the poker table.
Allow players to enter and leave a poker game without having to physically purchase chips from the poker manager or from the poker dealer at the poker table.
Allow the players to play a poker hand with real cards and with no physical poker chips.
Allow only one poker player at a time to make a wager such as a check, fold, call, bet or raise and not allow all other players at the poker table from making a wager at the same time.
Advantages of the present invention are therefor that:
It makes the poker dealer more efficient
It speeds up the poker game.
It does not require the physical placement of poker chips at the middle of the poker table during a poker hand.
It can be applied to all limits of Texas Holdem, Omaha and other poker games.